Aut's Pizza

Oh my word! I've been getting a little creative in the kitchen lately, and last week I made this FABULOUS pizza... the best homemade pizza I've had in my life. I wish I had taken a picture... I had already started eating when the thought occurred to me, and I wasn't about to stop!

Ingredients:
Whole wheat pizza dough/crust (I make mine in my bread machine)
about 1/2 small jar pizza sauce (I think I used Del Grosso)
olive oil
a few cloves garlic, chopped
some fresh spinach
some fresh tomatoes, sliced
some sliced baby bella mushrooms
2 c. shredded pizza cheese (I think I used Sargento)
sprinkle of Italian seasonings (i.e. basil, oregano)
fresh cracked salt & pepper

1. Prepare pizza dough according to your favorite recipe or packaged crust.
2. Saute garlic in a little olive oil for about 1 minute (don't let it get brown.)
3. Add spinach to garlic and saute until just wilted.
4. Add pizza sauce to garlic & spinach and mix well.
5. Spread pizza sauce mixture on crust.
6. Place sliced tomatoes in a single layer over pizza sauce.
7. Saute mushrooms in a little olive oil until they start to soften.
8. Sprinkle mushrooms over the tomato layer.
9. Top with cheese, seasonings, salt & pepper to taste.
10. Bake @ 400 degrees until top is golden, about 15-20 minutes.

Hawaiian Goulash

This one's not for the faint of heart...or fat and calorie watchers.
This one IS for those who love tropical, refreshing flavors that satisfy the sweet tooth.

You know how sometimes you try to make something and it ends up a complete failure? So then you try to salvage it in any way possible...and people RAVE about how tasty it is? That is this recipe. It is an "original" with me because alas, I failed to bake a cake once. So I had to turn it into a trifle and added a few things. But I've not found one person that doesn't like it yet! It refrigerates well and serves alot!

2 cups sour cream
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 pkg flaked coconut (14 oz)
1 pkg yellow cake mix (18 oz)
1 pkg orange gelatin (3 oz)
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 can mandarine oranges
2 large cans pineapple chunks
1 banana (0ptional)

1) Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, and orange juice; mix well. Fold in coconut, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate.

2) In another mixing bowl, combine dry cake mix, gelatin powder, water, oil, and eggs; mix well. Pour into greased 9x13 or two greased 9" pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire cooling rack. Cool completely.

3) Using a serrated bread knife, cut cake into 1" or smaller cubes. Reserve 1 cup of the coconut filling. Crumble enough cubes to cover bottom of punch/serving bowl. Spread some of the coconut filling over cake pieces. Disburse mandarine slices, pineapple chunks, and banana slices (if using) over coconut filling, not covering it completely. Crumble more cake to cover fruit and coconut filling and continue with another coconut filling and fruit layer. End with a cake layer on top.

4) Using a beater, beat 1 cup heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into reserved cup of coconut filling. Spread evenly over top layer of cake. Arrange mandarine slices and pineapple chunks in a pretty design. Refrigerate. To serve, just use a big spoon to get all the goodness of the layers heapin' on plate!

Yummy. That's all I have to say.

Tips:
~Coat banana slices (if using) with lemon or lime juice to slow the browning process.
~Use as little or as much mandarine and pineapple as you like. The point of the fruit is to compliment the orange flavored cake and creamy coconut filling as well as add a different texture...not to overpower and be the main event of the trifle.
~This thing is even good several days later!

Santa Fe Soup

This one's cheap, tasty, quick, and makes alot. It hails from the Emma Waters Summar Library Cookbook from the staff in Jackson, TN.

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion
2 cans kernel corn (Shoe Peg specified)
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1-2 pkg. Taco seasoning mix (to taste)
2 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis (Rotel)
1 can diced tomatoes
Garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste


Brown ground beef and onions in a large soup pot; drain. Combine all ingredients in soup pot or crock pot. If cooked in the crock pot, let it cook on low for 3-4 hours. Stove-top, simmer for an hour or so.

Serve with any of the following items: Fritos, Tostitos, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole.

This makes about a gallon of soup.

Tips: None! This one is unedited...a rare thing in my kitchen!

Hamburgers and Potato Salad

Oldies but goodies! The hamburgers are a recipe from Pampered Chef's Casual Cooking. I used the Mexican Burger Bar recipe, but changed up the toppings. I will give their recipe and my alterations in the tips. They also use their burger recipe as the base for several other ethnic burgers which I will list as well. Serve it up with Brenda's Potato Salad and you've got a winning All-American dish! Many many thanks to Brenda (my mom-in-law) for taking time to measure out this "by looks" recipe! It turned out so well! I did only do about 1/3 the recipe since it was just Matt and I.

MEXICAN BURGER BAR
Prep/Cook time: 45 minutes. Serves 8.

Burgers
2 lbs 80% lean ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 slices Cobly Jack cheese
8 hamburger buns, split

Mexican Sandwich Spread
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp chili powder

Mexican Toppers
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 large avocado, peeled and sliced
1 cup pickled jalepeno pepper slices, drained

1) For burgers, crumble ground beef into large bowl. Finely chop onion. Add onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper to ground beef; mix gently but thoroughly. Form mixture into 8 round patties, 1/2 inch thick. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to grill/cook.

2) For Mexican sandwich spread, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, and chili powder in small bowl; mix well until blended. Cover and refrigerate.

3) For Mexican toppers, slice tomatoes and avocado. Place toppers in individual serving bowls; cover and refrigerate.

4) When ready to grill/cook, prepare grill for direct cooking over medium coals or heat pan to medium. Place patties on grill/pan. Cook for 11-13 minutes, turning once with a spatula. About 1 minute before burgers are done, place cheese slices on top.

5) Meanwhile, place bun halves, cut side down, on grid of grill. Grill 1-2 minutes or until buns are lightly toasted. If using a pan, grill buns BEFORE cooking burgers. Place burgers on buns. Serve with spread and toppers.

Tips:
~I just put tomato, lettuce, and the spread on mine since I am not a fan of avocados or jalepenos.
~For juicy burgers, avoid pressing or flattening ground beef patties with spatula while cooking.

Variations:
~American Burger Bar - American cheese, BBQ seasoning instead of chili powder in the spread, lettuce, tomato, pickle slices, red onion.
~Italian Burger Bar - mozzarella or provolone cheese, Italian seasoning instead of chili powder in the spread, tomato, green bell pepper rings, mushroom slices, olive slices
~Greek Burger Bar - omit cheese, use pita bread pockets instead of buns, lemon pepper seasoning instead of chili powder in the spread, crubmled feta cheese, fresh spinach leaves, tomato, red onion, cucumber slices, olive slices

BRENDA'S POTATO SALAD
Prep/Cook Time: approx. 2-3 hours. Serves: Alot.

9 medium-large russet potatoes
3 eggs
water

2 stalks celery, diced
2 Tbs dill pickle relish (or pickle finely chopped)
1/2 tsp celery seed (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup diced onion (optional)
2 cups salad dressing or mayonnaise
1 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup dill pickle juice

1) Scrub potatoes and place in a large pot with eggs and cover with water. Cook on medium-high heat until potatoes are tender when stuck with a fork (about 1 1/2 hours). As water evaporates, be sure to add more water so they are covered at all times for consistant cooking.

2) While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing to pour over the potatoes when they are done. In a large mixing bowl, add all the dressing ingredients; stir until well mixed, cover, and refrigerate.

3) After potatoes are tender, remove from heat and pour into a large strainer to drain and cool. After cool to the touch, remove skin from potatoes and eggs. Cut potatoes into cube size pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Dice the eggs and add to the potatoes. Pour dressing over the potato mixture. GENTLY fold dressing into potatoes (so you don't end up with mashed potato salad).

Tips:
~I left out the onion because Matt and I do not prefer it and added more celery seed becaue I had no celery.
~I used mayo instead of salad dressing because...I had no salad dressing. :-P
~This is not a "chunky" potato salad. It is creamy and delicious! I think the secret ingredient is the pickle juice!

Sorry, Nonie. Brenda's wins out over yours. ;-)

Santa Fe Turkey Saute

From Pampered Chef's Casual Cooking cookbook. This is such a FAST dish to make! It's the first time I've made turkey in our househole. I have been hesitant because of the peach salsa topping, but it was delicious and expanded our palate. The peach perfectly compliments the turkey. I bet you could even combine the peach with other fruit, such as cranberry, for the topping.

Prep/Cook time: 25 minutes. 4 servings (I say 6).

1 medium peach, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Tbs snipped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup thick and chunky salsa
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
1-1 1/4 lb turkey breast slices (about 6-7)
2 tsp cooking oil, divided

1) Coarsely chop peach after peeling. Snip cilantro. In a small bowl combine peach, cilantro, and salsa; set aside.

2) In a shallow dish, combine cornmeal, flour, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Coat both sides of each turkey slice with cornmeal mixture. Discard any remaining cornmeal mixture.

3) In a skillet, heat 1 tsp of oil over medium heat until hot. Add half of the turkey slices. Cook 2 minutes; turn with a spatula. Continue cooking 2 minutes or until coating is golden brown and turkey is no longer pink. Remove turkey from skillet onto serving platter; keep warm. Cook remaining turkey slices in remaining 1 tsp oil. To serve, top with peach salsa.

My Tips and Edits:
~Fresh cilantro has a VERY strong flavor, one that I am not fond of. When we ate the leftover turkey slices, I combined chopped peach with a little juice from the salsa (no chunks) and that was MUCH better. It brought out the peach flavor much more.
~Serve with seasoned or wild rice and a green veggie, esp. green beans.

Bruschetta-Style Thin Spaghetti

Oh my goodness!!! This was easy and GOOD! It has a great "fresh" factor and is chock-full of flavor. I'm not sure how to post recipes legally when we get them from another source (like a cookbook, etc.) Does anyone know? Well, anyway, this is from the back of my Healthy Harvest pasta box!

BRUSCHETTA-STYLE THIN SPAGHETTI
Total Cooking Time: 15 min. Serves 3-4 people (I personally think it serves 4-6)

1 box Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Thin Spaghetti
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons minced garlic (I used 6+ cloves, pressed b/c I like garlic!)
3 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

To taste: oregano and basil (fresh or dried), shredded Parmesan cheese, cracked pepper, salt

1) Cook pasta according to package directions.
2) Heat a large saute' pan on medium high with olive oil. Saute' garlic until golden. Add tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and herbs. Heat until warmed (about 2 minutes).
3) Combine pasta and tomato mixture and heat until warm (approximately 2-3 minutes).
Top with shredded Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

This is a great meatless dish, very satisfying with a green salad. I suppose you could serve small portions as a side dish to meat, or you could throw in some cooked chicken... I personally prefer it as is!

Pacific Rim Stir-Fry

Lately I have tried alot of new recipes. They have all been good except for a bean salad that my wonderful husband had the AWESOME idea to use it in a soup recipe that had most of the ingredients in common with the bean salad. So I'll hopefully get the time over the next few days to post all these recipes and a few pictures. First up, our absolute favorite and the newest hit in this humble abode! No one can go wrong with this. Originally it called for a green sweet pepper, but our store didn't carry those. A lady recommended a yellow bell pepper, something I have never ever tasted. Gracious is it DELISH! Please oh please try this easy recipe! Your taste buds will thank you and you'll be carried off to the islands!

PACIFIC RIM STIR-FRY
Better Homes and Gardens, edited by Dawn, picture by Kathie

Thin vermicelli to serve 4
1 lb bonless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs snipped fresh basil (or 2 tsp dried basil)
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs cooking oil
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch strips
Cashews (optional)

1) In a saucepan, cook vermicelli according to package directions. Drain; set aside and keep warm. (Or just cook it while you cook the stir-fry.)

2) Cut chicken into thin, bite-size strips. For sauce, combine broth, dry basil (if using), cornstarch, and cumin; set aside.

3) Pour cooking oil into a wok or large skillet. If necessary, add more oil during cooking. Heat over med-high heat. Add carrots to wok; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broccoli; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Add yellow bell; cook and stir for 3 minutes more or until vegetables are crsip-tender. Remove vegetables from wok. Add chicken to wok; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink. Push chicken from center of wok. Stir sauce; add to center of wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Return vegetables to wok; add fresh basil (if using). Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve over vermicelli; sprinkle with cashews if desired.